Nightmares-blocks in four shades of gray.

Game worlds in green and a plastic housing in elephant Color: Nintendo's Game Boy was cheap, but good enough for a world record. 20 years ago, conquered the handheld console only Japan and then the whole world - no game has been purchased more frequently than the plastic dwarf.

 

Simplistically, the graphics of the Game Boy, but at least not black and white: The Paperback great handheld game console, the Nintendo 20 years ago in Japan brought into the shops, the game worlds in four shades of gray on a green background dar.

The devices could rival the then much better game console Atari Legend revealed in the same year on the U.S. high-tech-show CES its own handheld console called the Lynx. Instead of four baptisms Graus showed the device Atari 4096 colors, instead of 6.5-inch diagonal screen as the Game Boy had the atari toys just nine.

A Nintendo manager defended his meager equipped toys in the "
New York Times "against the competing Atari then says:" It is as you would with a Ferrari to drive vegetable vendor. "Atari chief Sam Tramiel (son of the Atari founder Jack Tramiel) mocked:" Who would not prefer a Ferrari Toyota drive? In particular, our device does not cost as much as a Ferrari. "

20 years later it is 118 2 for Nintendo. Just two million of its technically advanced handheld consoles sold Atari, Nintendo has its own, according to statistics from 2008, a total of more than 118 million copies of the Gameboys and the first Independent Color Models sold. This is the plastic dwarf the previously best-handheld game console ever.

Nintendo's Good-Enough Principle

Simple design, comparatively low price - this combination made the Game Boy to success. And of course, Tetris, which each sold attached handheld game. When Ur-Tetris are angular, very differently shaped stones from the top into a container and must be rotated so that they place the least possible waste. When complete without a series gap is filled, the blocks disappear and make room for the top to the falling tiles. If the container is filled to the top out, you have lost.

Nintendo Game Boy strategy can be summarized as follows: Cheap, easy, creative and most players are good enough. Not the theoretical possibilities of the hardware should captivate the player, but the variety and quality of the games actually available. With the hardware after the Good-Enough method had Nintendo Game Boy at an incredible success, just as years later, with the Wii and the included Wii Sports game.

For toy dealer unknown Digitalkram

In Japan, buying in the first month after the introduction of the 200,000 people the Gameboys Player. In the United States was the first delivery of one million Gameboys, according to the journalist Steven L. Kent a few weeks after sales begin in August 1989 sold out. This success is certainly not on clever marketing and expensive advertising back - finally knew many toy merchants with little Digitalkram 1989 begin. A Toys'R'Us manager told the New York Times in 1989 still an interesting "Russian spy game" called "
Tetrus ".

Nintendo's Game Boy was a really captivating toys, no advertising, point-to-air. The company's success in Germany can be compared with a small show in 1989 established a German subsidiary Nintendo Company, 1990, this 500 million euro turnover and had a market share of 15 percent of the German toy market - in Lego.

To mark the 160 cost of a Game Boy, from 50 to 70 marks a game. Two million units Nintendo has sold in the first year. Early 1992, Nintendo had 35 German employees for off alone, on the phone to players questions to answer - a thousand letters and 12,000 phone calls came a week for the company. Most people wanted to know how they are further complicated games.

In "The devil in person" titled article called "
The time "the 1991 Game Boy then even an" electronic drug. "The device had" an almost inexplicable success, "wrote. And on the classic Tetris game:" Many addicts report that his strange falling blocks up in the dream inside track. "

Those were the days.

GAME CONSOLES: THE LATEST GENERATION

Wii

obs / Nintendo of Europe

The small competitor is in contrast to the rival consoles, not high-resolution graphics, but delivers traditional television resolution. Nevertheless, the device is so popular that the manufacturer has not announced prices. In the United States overtook the Wii in July 2008 Microsoft's Xbox 360, what the sales figures are concerned. The console features a motion controller and bewegungssensitiven-oriented accessories, such as the "Balance Board" from. With simple sports and fun games, it has for the industry, captured new audiences. A detailed test Wii can be found here.

Playstation 3

DDP

The direct competitor to Microsoft's Xbox 360 - the two consoles to compete with the hardcore gamers who are also prepared for high-resolution graphics to a TV buy. In March 2007, the console on the market in Europe. In July 2008, there were either 40 or 60 GB hard drive - will also soon have a version with 80 GB on the market. It is the most expensive among the current models and gives a high-resolution video via an HDMI-out output. As the only game currently available, it contains a Blu-ray drive, which is also high-resolution Blu-ray discs can play. A detailed
Test of the PS3 can be found here.

Xbox 360

Microsoft's high-definition console is of the three longest current competitors on the market, namely since the end of 2005. Microsoft has repeatedly screwed on price and features. The 360 has a normal DVD drive in its basic version, but no hard drive. In July 2008, there were a model without a hard drive, a 20 gigabyte model and the black "elite" with 120 GB hard drive. The current models of HD images on an HDMI-out output. A comprehensive test on the Xbox 360 can be found here.

Sony PSP

The Playstation Portable, on the market since 2005, is Sony's first attempt, which traditionally used by Nintendo (Game Boy) dominated the market for mobile games a bit abzuzwacken. Since 2007, there is a slightly thinner version, called Slim and Lite. The mobile console games can not only present but also movies and music. Moreover, it can be via W-LAN to the Internet. Movie downloads and other content may differ from the PS3 to the PSP will be delayed, may also mobile console to the Internet as a kind of remote for the PS3 to be used. The PSP is on the market for mobile games second rear Nintendo DS. A detailed
Test of the PSP can be found here.

Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is since 2005 in a first version on the market since 2006 in an edition called slimmer DS Lite (pictured). DS stands for "dual screen". The console has a normal and in the bottom half of a touch-screen. Games will be on buttons or a stylus, the touchscreen with the edited, played. The DS is the PSP over Wi-Fi to connect to the internet, including online games and gimmicks such as pictures chat are possible. With games like "Nintendogs" and "Dr. Kawashimas brain-jogging" tapped the DS new target for mobile consoles. The DS is currently the best selling mobile game. A test report on the first version of the Nintendo DS can be found here.